Tag Archive for 'pinot-noir'

The wine industry always seems to make good subject matter for films and video. Some efforts are based on real figures, others on fictional characters. Some are romanticized versions of how we envision wineries, vineyards, and wines, while others seek to expose the unvarnished truth – embellished or otherwise. Less often, yet frequently more interesting, are films that inform us by documenting people’s experiences with growing, producing, or just drinking wine. The documentary, “American Wine Story” is a film that delves into the passion, the risk, the ingenuity, and the humanity involved in growing wine.

Join us as we talk with filmmaker David Baker about his film, “American Wine Story,” and his team’s efforts to capture, as David puts it “the story behind the bottle.”

Part 2 of the 2014 WOPN seminar on Oregon and Burgundy takes us to Pinot Noir’s homeland in Burgundy, France. We were very fortunate to have Louis Jadot’s Technical Director Frédéric Barnier, present a vertical of the Premier Cru vineyard, Clos des Ursules, which included vintages: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2005, 2003, 1997, 1990, and 1985.

The Clos des Ursules is a walled site within the Vignes Franches climat, at the southern end of Beaune’s group of Premier Cru vineyards near the commune boundary with Pommard. Being on the lower eastern side of the Montagne-Saint-Desire hill, the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines here make the most of the morning and early afternoon sunshine in Burgundy’s marginal climate.

Join us as we hear from Frédéric Barnier about the Clos des Ursules climat, the various vintages he presented for tasting, and discussion of the past few “short” vintages in Burgundy.

‘Tis the season, as they say, so we thought we’d finish up the year with a show featuring one of our favorite wines – Champagne!

The Jacquart story began in the early 1960s, as an effort by the Champagne growers’ to control their own destiny. Rather than selling their grapes or juice to the large Champagne houses, a small group of growers decided that they needed to launch their own Champagne label. The Champagne Jacquart brand was released for the first time in 1962, and the ‘Mosaïque’ label was chosen to represent the patchwork of grower families across the region, all joined together with a common vision. Champagne Jacquart is headquartered in the Hôtel du Brimont in Reims, a 19th century Art Nouveau listed building, situated on the Boulevard Lundy in between the houses of Krug and Roederer.

Join us as we talk with International Communications Manager Diane Gonzalez about the beverage, the region, and the Jacquart brand.

Pinot Noir’s homeland will always be in Burgundy, France. But, outside of Burgundy, is there actually a more “suited” place for growing and making world class Pinot Noir? Obviously, this is a subjective matter – one for which there may be no definitive answer. Why? Because, as we already know, every ounce of grape-growing soil is different – all across the globe. Pinot there, is not Pinot here. That being said, is there some hidden meaning in the preponderance of Burgundian visits made to Oregon? Or, how about the purchases of Oregon vineyard land by Burgundians? What’s up with that?

Listen in, and judge for yourself, as a panel of Oregon winemakers from the 2014 WOPN discuss their local their soils, processes, and thoughts for growing and producing the best Pinot Noir possible in the New World. Panelists include: Moderator – Katherine Cole, Robert brittan – Brittan Vnyds, Steve goff – Colene Clemens, Rebecca pittock-shouldis – Ghost Hill, James Fry – Trisaetum, Rajat parr – Evening Land, and Lynn Penner-Ash – Penner-Ash. We guarantee your first impulse will be to go out and buy some Oregon Pinots!

(Editor’s note: due to technical difficulties, the quality for the first 10 minutes of the seminar portion of the recording is poor. However, it does become resolved thereafter.)

Located in the Occidental region of Sonoma County, the Heintz Ranch has been owned by the Heintz family for nearly 100 years. Charlie’s grandparents purchased the land in 1912, and Charlie’s father farmed here. Apples remained in production until their first Chardonnay vineyard was planted in 1982. The family still maintains about 8 acres of apple orchard today.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Charlie began farming Heintz Ranch in 1984, and expanded the vineyards to include Pinot Noir and perhaps his personal favorite, Syrah. With a who’s who list of wineries like Littorai and Williams Selyem buying his grapes, Charlie Heintz couldn’t be prouder of his family’s accomplishments.

Join us as we talk with Charlie Heintz about viticulture and wine, and what it takes to be a premium winegrower.

Greg Sanders will easily admit that he doesn’t do anything half-way. So, it didn’t seem like a big deal for him to venture to Oregon to buy some land. But then the land turned into a vineyard, and the vineyard into an Estate…and then there was the winery.

Planted in 1980 to own-rooted Pommard clone pinot noir, the 10-acre White Rose Vineyard is one of the oldest and most storied vineyards in Oregon. Located on east-southeast facing slopes of volcanic Jory soils in the heart of the Dundee Hills, the vineyard sits at the top of the hill at 870 feet elevation, overlooking much of the Willamette Valley.

In 2009, they acquired an additional 4 acres of vineyard immediately north of the original site. This vineyard, was planted in 2001 to Dijon clone 115 pinot noir grafted to American rootstock.

Join us as we talk with Greg about his journey – or, his JOURNEYS – into wine, pinot noir and the metaphysical. If you thought you were hooked on the minutia of wine, you haven’t heard anything yet.

Located north of Lyon in eastern France, the Beaujolais wine region overlaps Burgundy in the north and Rhône in the south. The steep Beaujolais vineyards run along the Saône River on mainly granite terrain. Only manual harvesting is allowed in the Beaujolais region, and the region has ideal growing conditions, receiving plenty of sunshine.

The Gamay Noir grape has existed since the 1300s in Burgundy, and a is a crossing of Pinot Noir and an ancient grape called Gauais Blanc. Gamay is used to make all Beaujolais wines with the exception of white Beaujolais, or Beaujolais blanc, which is made from Chardonnay grapes.

There are 12 different Beaujolais appellations, 10 of which are known as Crus. The Beaujolais Crus form a meandering path. From south to north, Brouilly is followed by Côte de Brouilly, Régnié, Morgon, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent, Chénas, Juliénas and Saint-Amour.

Join us as we talk with Anthony Collet, Director of Marketing for Inter Beaujolais, about the region, its grapes and its wines.

The Louis Jadot name, as well as its readily identifiable label should be very familiar, even to casual wine lovers. Established by Louis Henry Denis Jadot in 1859 in the Burgundy region of France, Maison Louis Jadot has grown over the past 150 years to own 280 acres of the Côte d’Or’s most prestigious Premier and Grand Cru plots.

In 2010, chief winemaker Jacques Lardière retired after 42 years with Louis Jadot. Taking over the reins from Monsieur Lardière, winemaker Frédéric Barnier has been responsible for the entire winemaking team of Maison Louis Jadot since 2010.

Join us as we talk with Technical Director Frédéric Barnier about the challenges he’s faced, including the past few “short” vintages in Burgundy, current pricing, and the premox issue.

We’re on to another of the seminars from the 2014 World of Pinot Noir. This one had something of a unique twist – combining Hollywood and wine…or Vine, in this case.

The focus here was to talk about wine themes in film by honoring two wine movies, Sideways and Somm. This was also the 10th anniversary of the release of Sideways, a movie that ‘launched a thousand Pinots,’ and allegedly put the brakes to Merlot’s ascendancy.

Moderated by Sunset Magazine’s wine editor, Sara Schneider, the panel included Hitching Post’s Frank Ostini and tasting room whiz Chris Burroughs representing Sideways, and sommeliers Brian McClintic and Dlynn Proctor featured in the movie Somm that chronicled their efforts to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam. Of course, this wasn’t confined to just talking, as each of the panelists were also expected to identify several wines blind to demonstrate their respective wine prowess. L’audace, l’audace, toujours l’audace!

The 2005 vintage in Burgundy has been hailed as…dare we say, ‘the vintage of the century.’ Hyperbole? Maybe. But one thing’s for certain – it’s been a long time that a Burgundy vintage has been as highly regarded – maybe since 1978! The obvious question is – are they ready to drink yet? And if not now – when?

Join us as we talk about our tasting of four Villages wines and four Premier Cru wines from the vintage to see how the wines are evolving. We’ll taste them so you don’t have to!

Located half-way between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the Edna Valley is recognized as one of the finest Central Coast grape growing regions in California, known in particular for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Rhone grape varieties. With the Pacific Ocean just a few miles away, the coastal fog and breezes combine to create one of the longest growing seasons. The climate, combined with the calcareous and volcanic soils of the area, results in wines with concentration and balancing acidity.

In 1973 Chamisal became the first winery to plant vines in Edna Valley, a gamble that paved the way for one of the most revered wine regions of California. The vineyard is named for the native, white-flowered Chamise plant that thrives on the property. In the early 1990’s after a period of dormancy, the vineyard was replanted and the estate was renamed Domain Alfred. New ownership began in 2008 and restored the original name – Chamisal Vineyard – to honor its place in Edna Valley history.

Join us as we talk with Chamisal winemaker Fintan DuFresne about the history, the vineyards, and the wines. We’ll even taste the new un-oaked Pinot for you!

We’re back with Part 2 of the Insider Wine seminar from the 2014 World of Pinot Noir. Previously held in the Central Coast city of Shell Beach, the event moved to the gorgeous Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara beginning this year.

In a return engagement from his outstanding Burgundy seminar at the 2013 WOPN, Don Kinnan, CSS, CWE, and the lead instructor for the French Wine Society’s new Master Burgundy Certificate program, led us through a few of these “insider” appellations, including Marsannay, Fixin, Pernand-Vergelesses, Savigny-Les-Beaune, Monthelie, Auxey-Duresses, Chassagne-Montrachet (a red!), Santenay, and the mountain of Corton. Of course, the seminar included a short history of the viticulture and principal vineyards and producers in each of these villages. Plus, 12 wines were selected to represent the best terroirs from these villages, and included a tasting of the 2005 Corton and 2006 Corton-Charlemagne.

Join us as we listen to Don Kinnan provide insight into the lesser sampled “insider wines” of Burgundy, all in Part 2 of: Insider Wines of the Côte d’Or.

One of the biggest thrills in wine, is finding bottles that perform above their price level. And, while Burgundy is not particularly known for bargains, there are still some excellent quality-to-price values to be found from several, shall we say, “less travelled” appellations and villages. These “insider wines” are often sought out by knowledgeable Burgundy enthusiasts who enjoy their value and pleasure, while saving their more expensive, high profile bottles for special occasions.

In a return engagement from his outstanding seminar at the 2013 WOPN, Don Kinnan, CSS, CWE, and the lead instructor for the French Wine Society’s new Master Burgundy Certificate program, led us through a few of these “insider” appellations, including Marsannay, Fixin, Pernand-Vergelesses, Savigny-Les-Beaune, Monthelie, Auxey-Duresses, Chassagne-Montrachet (a red!), Santenay, and the mountain of Corton, location of the Cote d’Or’s greatest expanse of Grand Cru vineyard acreage. Of course, the seminar also included a short history of the viticulture and principal vineyards and producers in each of these villages. Fortunately for us, 12 wines were selected to represent the best terroirs from these villages, which included a tasting of 2005 Corton and 2006 Corton-Charlemagne. Very nice touch!

So, join us as we listen to Don Kinnan give us insight into the lesser know “insider wines” of Burgundy, all in Part 1 of: Insider Wines of the Côte d’Or.

The Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance held its annual Wine & Fire event in August of 2013. The festivities began on Friday evening with a reception at the Sanford & Benedict barn (the former winery) in the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, where over two dozen winemakers poured library wines and current releases from their Sta. Rita Hills appellation. People mingled from late afternoon through dusk and into dark, sampling the various wines. Saturday morning, it was seminar time. We began with a seminar on Chardonnay, followed by a rousing discussion of Pinot Clone 115. The evening featured a grand tasting on the grounds of the La Purisima Mission.

Join us as we listen to the last of two seminars – this one on Clone (aka Cultivar) 115. Six producers from six different Pinot Noir vineyards located throughout the Sta. Rita Hills AVA share their insights as to why this clone is a precious resource in their cellar. The panel includes discussion of: Cargassachi Vineyard, represented by Brandon Sparks-Gillis of Dragonette Cellars; Rancho La Viña Vineyard, represented by Kris Curran of D’Alfonso Curran; Rancho La Rinconada Vineyard, represented by Steve Fennell of Sanford Winery; Rio Vista Vineyard, represented by Norm Yost of Flying Goat Cellars; La Montagne Kessler-Haak Vineyard, represented by Kimberly Smith of La Montagne; Clos Pepe Vineyard, represented by Adam Lee of Siduri Wines; and Sebastiano Vineyard, represented by Bill Wathen of Foxen Winery, with Josh Raynolds from Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar doing the moderating.

Over the past several years, wine tasters have been using the term “minerality” to describe specific vinous attributes that include: wet stone, crushed stone, chalk, flint, racy acidity, salinity and the actual taste or smell of minerals. Since science has now debunked the original assumption that these aromas and flavors were translated directly from the earth to the wine via the vine, how do we now account for “minerality” in a wine? More importantly, what exactly is minerality – how do we define it? Seems like a simple question, right? Well, maybe not so much.

Join us as we sit in on a 2013 WOPN seminar on the subject of minerality, to hear the impressions and opinions on the matter from winemakers: Mike Waller (Calera), Jason Jardin (Flowers), Fintan DuFresne (Chamisal), and James Cahill (Soter), with author and writer Karen MacNeil (The Wine Bible) moderating.

A couple of years ago, the 2011 World of Pinot Noir presented a seminar on alcohol and balance, with a goal of panelist discussion to determine if alcohol and balance were mutually exclusive, or if one affected the other – adversely or otherwise. It was a hot-button topic among consumers and in the media at the time, where two separate camps of people had very decided opinions about the answer. The panel conversation was spirited, and the seminar turned out to be fascinating on several levels – not the least of which was because one of the panelists pulled a prank on another regarding the actual alcohol level of a specific wine. The rest, as they say, is history.

So, can lightning strike twice in the same place? And, what hath two years wrought to the discussion? Join us as we hear the impressions and opinions on the matter from Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat), Joe Davis (Arcadian), Wells Guthrie (Copain), Adam Lee (Siduri), and Greg Brewer (Brewer-Clifton), with author and writer Karen MacNeil (The Wine Bible) moderating.

Imagine Blanc de Noir without the bubbles. Weird? Not really. A few aspiring wineries and their “hey, let’s do it” winemakers are actually making what they correctly refer to as white pinot noir. Okay, so it’s still really the same as “normal” pinot noir, just without the color, right? Wrong! It turns out, when you leave the skins out of the fermentation process, it’s a whole new ballgame. Think Chardonnay – but with a completely different personality. The aromatic qualities take a quantum leap, and the flavor and textures, though similar to pinot – are still…well, different!

So, who makes this stuff? Well, so far it seems confined to Oregon (Anne Amie, Erath, Domaine Serene, Willakenzie Estate, J.K. Carriere, Ghost Hill, Novy Family), and to California (Schramsberg, and Domaine Carneros). When you consider it costs just as much to make as (red) pinot noir, as well as it taking the grapes away from the pinot noir sales, you can see why there’s not much of it around.

Join us as we hear about the how and the why from Jim Prosser from J. K. Carriere, Gary Horner from Erath Winery, and Zack Miller from Domaine Carneros, with Fred Dame moderating.

The French have landed…the French have landed. Actually, with regard to California, Taittinger landed in 1987 with Domaine Carneros. Completed in 1989, the château, a gorgeous landmark in the Carneros region is literally at the crossroads of both Napa and Sonoma. The classic 18th century château-style building was architecturally inspired by the historic Taittinger-owned Château de la Marquetterie in Champagne.

Domaine Carneros boasts a couple of interesting firsts: 100% all 350 acres of estate vineyards were Certified Organic Estate Vineyards by 2005; in 2003 the winery installed the largest photovoltaic solar collection system on any winery in the world at the time, and led a series of seminars for other wineries to learn about the technology; founding Winemaker Eileen Crane is the most experienced sparkling winemaker in America, entering her 35th harvest in 2012.

Join us as we talk with Eileen about her wine and culinary background, and the stewardship that both she and the Taittinger family have provided to Domaine Carneros.

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GrapeRadio is a wine talk show. Show topics cover issues such as the enjoyment of wine, wine news and industry trends - the hallmark of the show is interviews with world class guest (winemakers, vineyards owners, wine retail / wholesale leaders, restaurateurs and sommeliers). The scope of the show is international so expect to hear many guests from around the world.

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